The U.S. Air Force will allow the combat, search and rescue (CSAR-X) helicopter program competitors to include updates on pricing, cost and other program-related information in new proposals, service officials confirmed Sept. 26.

The changes, to be part of a planned updated request for proposals (RFP), could include past performance history and schedules, according to Sue Payton, chief Air Force acquisition officer, and other service officials.

The Air Force decision means the three competitors can essentially re-do their bids in the program for more than 140 helicopters at an estimated total value of between $10 billion and $15 billion.

Boeing won the initial competition with its HH-47, a Chinook variant. But Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky protested twice, and both times the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) upheld the challenges (DAILY, Aug. 31).

In addressing GAO's comments after the first challenge, the Air Force decided to narrowly interpret the agency's ruling and called for a tightly focused amended proposal.

The service's decision to open up bidding so widely this time around appears to be aimed at quelling any GAO-related concerns about making such a constrained review.

The three companies will have two to three weeks to respond to the draft amendment, expected to be issued in early October. The final amended RFP is expected in late October.

The Air Force will consider pricing, technical and other changes. The service plans to maintain close contact with the companies to allow them to address any issues in their proposals. The bidders will likely have 45 days to respond, with an Air Force contract award likely in the spring.

In another rare move, the Air Force is inviting acquisition experts from the Army and Navy to analyze the bids. In that analysis, past performance issues are expected to play a major role, with the Air Force giving as much weight to those criteria as the helicopter's ability to meet requirements.

The Air Force must clear up the controversy surrounding the CSAR-X competition and selection, analysts say, if the service hopes to prove to Congress its effectiveness as a financial steward.